National Biomethane Strategy

The Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications, Eamon Ryan and the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Charlie McConalogue have today announced the publication of Ireland’s National Biomethane Strategy.

Government is committed to supporting delivery of up to 5.7TWh of indigenously produced biomethane by 2030. A first key step to delivering on this ambitious target is the publication of the National Biomethane Strategy.

The National Biomethane Strategy sets out the necessary policy and regulatory measures, and provides a roadmap, to developing a biomethane industry of scale in Ireland. The development of the Strategy focused on a framework of five interlinking pillars seen as critical to target delivery:

• sustainability;
• demand for biomethane;
• bioeconomy and the circular economy;
• economics of biomethane; and
• enabling policy requirements.

Each pillar has been aligned with twenty-five key strategic actions. Each action looks to address the challenges and support the opportunities anaerobic digestion and biomethane production has to offer.

Implementation of the Strategy and delivery of these actions will require concerted action across key Government Departments and agencies to ensure the necessary supports and infrastructure are in place to support the biomethane industry. A newly formed Interdepartmental Biomethane Implementation Group will oversee implementation of the Strategy, measure its impact and monitor target delivery. The Implementation Group will report directly to the Heat and Built Environment Taskforce.

An integral part of the Strategy is sustainable production. An early action for delivery will be the development of a Biomethane Sustainability Charter in consultation with policy, industry, and societal stakeholders. The Charter will support an agri-led biomethane industry, whilst having regard to established goals for the protection and restoration of water, soil, biodiversity, and ecosystem services and protect against any unintended negative consequences.

The National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NRRP) has been developed by the government so that Ireland can access funding under the EU's Recovery and Resilience Facility. Ireland is expected to receive €988 million in grants under the Facility.

The Recovery and Resilience Facility is the largest component of NextGenerationEU, the EU's response to the global pandemic. The aim is to help repair the immediate economic and social damage brought about by the pandemic and to prepare for a post-COVID-19 Europe that is greener, more digital, more resilient and fit to face the future.